Dawn's story
Dawn Mallender is 27 and lives in Nottingham. Struggling to find her dream job after university, she turned to volunteering and has worked as a hospital radio DJ since October 2007. It was a decision that would change her life.
Volunteering has provided a massive turning point in my life. I'd always wanted to work in the media, but was finding it hard to get a job after university, so I decided to boost my CV with some skills through volunteering. I went on do-it.org.uk to see if there was anything in my local area and found out that Nottingham Hospitals' Radio (NHR) was looking for people. All the training was provided so it didn't matter that I had no idea where to start with all the buttons in a studio. I took the plunge and emailed my application to do-it.org.uk.
My first task was to do some fundraising, so I organised a Christmas raffle and announced the winners live on the radio - my on-air debut! After a few months, I had received enough training to present my own show, which lasts for two hours on a Thursday afternoon when I've finished work.
I really love DJing at the hospital. Because it's a voluntary position, you can be creative and bring in your own ideas. As well as playing requests from patients, I came up with a couple of features: On This Day, where I discuss interesting things that happened on the same day in former years, and News to Amuse which is a chat about current, light-hearted news stories. I always keep the show positive and try to involve listeners with brainteasers and quizzes. I also organise prizes so patients have something to look forward to when they leave, like a meal at a local restaurant.
Some of my time is spent on ward visits where I chat to patients and tell them about the radio and how they can request songs. I meet a lot of extraordinary people and hear some inspiring stories. Some of them think I'm a celebrity! One little boy was ill for a few months and used to call the studio from his patient line every Saturday. We eventually got him in to visit with his mum and he was on a show. He had a great time, and it was heart-warming to be able to make his stay in hospital better.
I also wanted to be more involved in fundraising and organised some campaigns. I designed a t-shirt which said: "I wish I was a hospital radio DJ," and tried to get celebrities to wear it. I managed to convince both Terry Wogan and Chesney Hawkes to have their picture taken in the T-shirts. I'm going to post the shots on a new NHR website which my boyfriend and I are currently designing. That should bring a lot more awareness to what we do at NHR, and hopefully more money!
I found that I loved the challenge of fundraising, and started to question whether I wouldn't be happier doing a job like that full-time. I wasn't having any luck finding employment in the media in Nottingham and I was tiring of my admin day-job. So in December 2008, I applied to Diabetes UK to be a fundraiser - and I got the job! It really was a Christmas miracle. I had spent three years after university trying to get into professional radio, and I never would have guessed that volunteering would change my mind. There is no way I would have got an interview or the job without my experience at NHR, and now I have a job I love!
Volunteering has really changed my life, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is struggling with their career. It's an easy way to pursue options and gain valuable experience, especially in new areas. I never thought I'd enjoy working in a hospital, but I've learnt so much from spending time with the patients and staff. As long as you show commitment and enthusiasm, there are no limits to where volunteering might take you.